Leather-working machine.



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LEATHER WOI'KINv MAGHIN,

(Applicatio med sept. 1e,` w01.)

' 3 Shaeis-Sheei l.

(No Model.)

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Nn. 691,302; Patented 1an. |4, |902..

H. A. BALLARD.

LEATHER wonkms MACHINE'.

(Application led Sept. 16, 1901.)

'- (no Model.) s sheets-sheet 2.

No. 691,302. Patentedlan. I4, |902.'

H. A. BALLARD. l

LEATHER WORKING MACHINE.

(Application led Sept. 16, 1901.) (No Model.) 3 Sheet's-Shqet 3.

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UNITED STATES IIARRIE A. BALLARD, or ASHLAND,

'PAT-ENT OFFICE.

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR 'TO vTHE TURNER TANNING MACHINERY COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA. i

LEATHER-WORKING MACHINE'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,302, dated January 14, 1902.

Application filed September 16, 1901. Serial No. 75,552. (No model.)

T LZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, HARRIE A. BALLARD, of Ashland, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Leather-Work# ing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to machines for treating hides, skins, and leather, relating xo more particularly to that type of machines in which the hide or vskin is folded about a fiat support and is acted upon by a Working surface or member consisting of a plurality of working edges arranged in a substantially 15 fiat plane, thel support and the Working surface being movable one with respect to the other. Heretofore in such machines the Worksupport had two operative faces againstwhich the hide or skin was held, and it was moved 2 o between two oppositely-disposed Working surfaces or members, so that the vmajor portion of the skin or hide was engaged by them,

That portion of the hide which passed over,`

the end of the support, however, couldfnotbe z 5 reached by the working edges, audit was necessary to provide means for temporarily dis# engaging the Working surfaces from the hide or skin and shifting the latter upon the support, so as to bring the untreated portion in 3o position to be engaged 'by said working sur-V faces. Thisexpedientforsecuringtreat-ment of the entire surface of the hide or skin has not been productive of the best results,'since the skin was thereby subjected toV greater.

rubbing, scraping, or other treatment at one portion of its surface than at others, and consequently when it left the machine it was not uniformly finished, and, moreover,'it necessitated the employment of automatic mechan- 4o ism for separating the working surfaces from the hide or skin and temporarily rendering the machine inoperative.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a machine of the type referred to having means for effecting a uniform treatment of the skin or hide; and to this end the illustrated embodiment of the invention is shown as provided with a supplemental flexible working surface or member which is 5o adapt-ed to engage and treat that portion of the hide or skin which lies around the end of the support Without shifting it relatively to said support. The said supplemental working member consists of a plurality of iieXibly-connected ribs or edges adapted to double about the end of the work-support and rub or scrapepthe desired portion of the hide or skin. The supports for the skins, of which there are preferably a plurality, are carried successively between -the oppositely-disposed 6o working surfaces or members by an endless carrier, and the s upplemental working meniber is hung to intersect the path of the supports, so that as the end of each one of the latter emerges from the working surfaces or members it engages the said flexible member, which yields and permits the edges thereof to rub or scrape the skin or hide on the said end as. the support moves along.

vReferringtothe'drawings, which represent 7o one embodiment of the invention, to Which, howeveit Will be understood, I am not limited, Figure l represents a longitudinal section through the machine. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 represent the operation of the Aflexible supplemental working devices. Fig. 5 represents in face View a portion of the supplemental member and the adjacent devices.

'- AThe machine is provided with the usual frame, and so far as its general features are 8o concerned it'is quite similar to the one shown in the patents to William B. Turner, No.

584,123, dated June 8, 1897, and No. 615,656,

dated December 6, 1898, to which reference may be had for a more detailed description of the mechanism herein briedy referred to.

.The endless-chain carrier is indicated atll, y

and it is mounted upon suitable sprocket-r.

Wheels l21'2`at the ends of the machine. The f, a travel of the carrier is at an inclination, al- 9o' Y'though it may be horizontal, if desired. The

said carrier has operatively connected to it a series off fiat tables or supports 13 in a man-v 'ner substantially as shown in said Patent No.

615,656. le and l5 represent, more or less 95 conventionally, oppositely-disposed working surfaces or members, each of which comprises a plurality of workin g ribs, edges, or other contrivances which are adapted to engage and rub or scrape a skin or hide. :These members rooY are connected by equalizin g devices, (not shown,) to which is attached the weighted arm 151, as in said Patent No. 615,656. The tables or supports are each provided with two flat faces with curved ends, and said tables are arranged to pass successively between the working surfaces or members, as shown in Fig. 1. Any suitable driving mechanism may be employed for actuating the carrier; but as said mechanism 4forms no independent part of this invention I have not seen t to illustrate it. The Working members are held yieldingly toward each other, whereby they separate slightly as the work-supports pass between them; but I have not illustrated the mechanism by which this is accomplished, as'it is shown in the patents previously referred to.

16 16 represent yieldingly-monnted helically-bladed rolls placed inthe path of movement of the support. These rolls operate to smooth out the Wrinkles from the hide or skin or to otherwise treat it, as occasion may require, and they are located, respectively, in front' of and in the rear of the working members 14 l5.v The said rolls likewise operate to Vhold the hide or skin upon the supports as the latter pass between them. They are driven by any suitable mechanism. (Not shown.)

As thus far described the machine possesses no features of my invention save as they are used in combination with the parts now to be described.

In operation the skin or hide is loosely folded over the support at the front end of themachine, so that it lies upon both faces thereof, with portions extending around the front end, as shown in Fig. 2. My present invention is designed to provide means for treating the portions of the skinaround the end ofthe support.

Stretched across the machine is a cross-.bar 18, having arranged atregular intervals a series of pairs of lugs 19, and depending from said lugs is a series of chains. Each chain consists of a plurality of articulated links 20, formed in any desired Way and each provided with a blade, rib, or edge 21. When the said chains are hanging free from the cross-bar 18, the edges 39 lie in the same plan'e'transverse of the path of movement of the supports and constituting a supplemental working surface or member which intersects the path of movement of the Work-supports, so that when each support emerges from between the Working surfaces 14 15 it engages said member,which yields and in so yielding causes the edges or ribs to successively engage and rub that portion of the hide or skin which is bent around the end of the work-support, as will be described more in detail. The ribs or edges of the chains are arranged so that they break joint. The effect of this is to prevent the creasing of the hide or skin asit is engaged and treated by the supplemental member. Each pair of cliains has the last twollinks ployed for holding thechains yieldingly when they are engaged by the support; but I shall describe one 'form which may be used. It

'consists of a roll 25, journaled upon a crossbar 26, whose ends are secured in centrallyfulcrumed levers 27. The fulcruins 28 for the said levers may be attached to the frame'of the machine or any suitable part thereof. The lower ends of the levers are connected by a cross-bar 29, ou which is placed a weight 30. The weight caiises the levers to assume the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4,

so that the liexible memberV rests looselyagainst the roll 25. Hence when the front end of each support engages the flexible member the latter is held yeldingly, as shown in Fig. 2. During the first portion of the movement of each support as it emerges from between theworking members it is caused to engage the flexible member near its fastened end, and as said support progresses farther it carries the flexible member with it, the free end of the latter heilig held frictionally by the pressure mechanismto cause said member to be doubled around the end of the support, as shown in said last-mentioned figure. As the flexible member is held ou its fastened end the remainder of it is caused to be dragged around the end of the support, whereby the ribs or edges rub or scrape the hide or skin on the said end. When the free end of the flexible support rides over the roll 25, the said flexible member lies loosely upon the top of the support, as shown in Fig. 3. In order to prevent the roll 25 from engaging the skin on the under side of the table or support'in such way as to scrape it, each of the tables is provided with a wedge or cam strip 31, which engages the roll and holds it iu the position shown in Fig. 3, forcing it downward against the pressure of the weight 30. This cam or wedge projects beyond the rear end of the table, so as to hold the roll or pressure member in inoperative position long enough after the flexible' member drops from the table in order to permit it to assume an operative position before the roll is released. The resistance of the flexible member is in a' direction opposite to the path of movement of the carrier, so that the action of the edges or ribs of said member is in a direction Vdirectly opposite the path of movement of the carrier, so that the action of theribs or edges of the flexible member is only on that portion of the IOO IIO

skin which is on the end of the support, said ribs or edges exerting but little pressure against the hide on or under the top faces of the support. t

So far as I aml aware I am the first to have provided a leather-treating machine of the type employing substantially flat supports about which a skin or hide may be doubled, `with a flexible working member adapted to engage and treat that portion of the skin or hide which is upon the end of the support without shifting said skin or hide, and [therefore in no wise limit myself to the particular form of working member which I have seen fit to herein describe. Consequently the said machine may be changed or modified in many respects without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Again, so far as I am aware I am the first to have provided in combination with the flexible working member a pressure member or mechanism engaging the said member in order that the ribs or edges thereof may be caused to engage the skin or hide with the proper degree of pressure. The provision of the flexible working member enables the successful treating of not only that portion of the hide which lies upon the end of the support, but by making it of the proper length the rubbing or scraping of the skin or the portion specified can be carried on to the same extent throughout the whole area thereof, so

that the skin is uniformly treated in this machine.

In explaining the construction and operation of the invention as embodied in a complete machine I have described features of which I am not the inventor, and therefore disclaim them, as follows: I do not claim means, broadlyfor treating the hide or skin upon the end of the support without shifting the skin, my invention consisting of a flexible member for accomplishing that purpose. I do not claim the combination of the stationary members with the spirally-bladed rolls or the mechanism for driving said rolls.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described a way of constructing and using the same, although without attempting to set forth allof the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use, I declare that what Iclaim is- 1. A machine of the character described, comprising a movable work-support and having two flat faces, whereby a skin or hide may be folded about the end of the support to lie against said flat faces, and means for uniformly treating the Ientire exposed area of said hide or skin, said means including members disposed in the path of the work-support v to engage those portions of the hide or skin which are on said flat faces, and a supplemental member consisting of-a series of ribs flexibly connected together for engaging the doubled portions of said hide or skin which lie on the end of the support.

2. A machine of the character described,

comprising a work-support having approximately flat faces whereby a skin or hide may be doubled over the end thereof to lie against said faces, working members for treating those portions of the hide or skin which lie against said faces, and a flexible member arranged to extend across the end of the worksupport and having articulated ribs or edges for treating that portion of the hide or skin which is on the curved end of the support.

3. A machine of the character described comprising a series of traveling fiat work-supports, each adapted to have a skin or hide stretched around its end, and a working member consisting of flexibly-connected ribs or edges disposed in the path of the work-supports adapted to successively engage and treat the skins on the ends of said supports.

4. A hide or skin treating machine having main workin g members, a supplemental working member provided with operative ribs or edges flexibly connected together, a flat worksupport having an end over which the skinV main working members, a flexible workingl member with ribs or edges which break joint with each other, a flat work-support having an end over which the skin may be folded, and means for effecting the engagement of the end of said work-support with the said supplemental member.

7. A machine ofl'the character described comprising a traveling work-support, working members disposed' to permit the passage of said support between them, and a yielding working member hung loosely across the path of said work-support and adapted to yield to the action of said support whereby it is wiped around the end of said support.

8. A machine of the character described comprising a traveling work-support, working members disposed to permit the passage of said support between them, and a working member hung loosely across the path of said work-support and adapted to yield to the action of said support whereby it is dragged around the end of said support said flexible member consisting of a series of chains having ribs or edges.

9. .A machine of the character described comprising a traveling support, a flexible working member hung loosely from a point above said supportto project across the path thereof and having a free lower end, said member having parallel ribs or edges extending from side to side thereof.

l0. A machine of ,the character described comprising a traveling support, a flexible working member hung loosely to intersect the path of movement of said support, whereby IOO -said member is engaged by the end of said supportv and gradually raised until it slides along the upper face thereof, and finally drops off the rear end thereof.

11. A machine of the character specified comprising a support having flat faces and an end, whereby a skin or hide may be doubled around said end to lie against said faces, and a working member adapted to extend around said end to engage and treat the skin thereon, and also to engage the skin on both faces of the said support, said support and said member being movable, one with respect to the other.

12. A machine of the character specified comprising a support having flat faces and an end, whereby a skin or hide may be doubled around said end to lie against said faces, and

a working member adapted to extend around saidend to engage and treat the skin thereon, and also to engage the skin on both faces of said support, said member having operative edges or ribs arranged substantially longitudinally of said end of said support, and means for moving said support and member, one relatively to the other in a path transverse to said ribs or edges.

13. A machine of the character specified comprising a su pport having fiat faces and an end, whereby a skin or hide may be doubled around said end to lie against said faces, and a member having aseries of flexibly-connected parallel ribs or edges, said memberbeing arranged and located with respect to said support whereby when one is moved relatively to the other, the said ribs or edges will be engaged in succession by the end of' the support.

1-1. A machine of the character specified,

comprising a fiexible working member, a pressure member, and a fiat work-support whose end is adapted to engage the said fiexible working member. 15. A machine of the character specified comprising a work-support, a exible Working member, hanging loosely in the path of said support, and means for causing said flexible member to exert pressure against the end of the support.

16. A machine of the character specified comprising a fiat work-support about the end of which a skin or hide may be folded, a fiexible working member, and means whereby said member is engaged with the hide or skin on the end of said support.

17. A machine of the character specified comprising a work-support about the end of which a skin or hide may be folded, aflexible depending working member, adapted to be engaged by the end of said support, and means for engaging the loose end of said member, substantially as described.

1S. A machine of the character specified, comprising a work-support, a fiexible member depending in the path of the said worksupport, and means located below the travel or pathof said support for pressing the loose end of said member against the work-support.

19.. A machine of the character specified comprising a work-support,a iexible working member arranged to operate on the skin on the end of the support, and a weighted pressure member for said liexible member.

20. A machine of the character described comprising a traveling work-support having fiat faces and an end, a dependent flexible member disposed in the path of said support for operating on that portion of the skin which lies on the end of the support, a pressure member for exerting pressure on the said flexible member, and means for holding said pressure member in inoperative position to permit the resetting of said flexible member.

21. A machine of the character described comprising a traveling Work-support, having flat faces and an end, a dependent flexible member disposed in the path of said support for operating on that portion of the skin which lies on the end of the supporta pressure member located below the travel of said support and outside said flexible member, and means on said support for moving said pressure member to inoperative position to permit the resetting of the flexible member.

22. A machine of the character described comprising a traveling worknsupport, having fiat faces and anfend, a dependent fiexible member disposed in the path of said support for operatingon that portion of the skin which lies on the end of the support, a pressure member located below the travel of said support and outside said fiexible member, and a cam on said support for holding said pressure member in an inoperative position to permit the resetting of saidflexible member.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRIE A. BALLARD.

Vitnesses:

M. B. MAY, C. C. STECHER.

IOO 

